My friends wouldn't join a book club, so here I am, making my own.

Beloved Book Settings: Scotland

One reason why fictional stories are so powerful is because they transport the reader to another place or time. I have found myself drawn to books set in certain locations over and over again, the settings coming alive in my head. One of my very favorite fictional book settings is Scotland.

Some of the books that have brought the countryside of Scotland alive for me have been:

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

At The Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

The wild greenery and the rolling hills of the countryside hold a certain draw for me. Maybe it’s the sense of adventure that comes with wide-open spaces, like a scene in Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings. Maybe it’s the rocky coastal beaches and windswept seashores that pull me in. It could also be the Scottish characters. A lively bunch the scots are, a proud and generous people. I also really enjoy reading the phrases of Gaelic mixed in with heavily accented English.

I was lucky enough to travel to Edinburgh last year, where I fell in love with cobble stone streets of the old town lined with pipers and pubs. Now that I’ve seen a piece of Scotland for myself, I can feel these stories even more vividly than before.

Whatever the reason, when I read a book description that is set in Scotland, I am much more likely to pick the book up and take it home with me.

I’m going to break the mold here.. I loved the setting in Outlander as well! But I also LOVE books set in Ireland. There’s a book called Born in Fire by Nora Roberts thats part of a trilogy set in Ireland and about 90% of the reason I love it is the descriptions of the countryside. Gorgeous. Settings can add so much beauty to a book!

As a Scot, I am delighted you love Scotland! It is a beautiful country. The west coast of Scotland is beautiful too; always a different island on the horizon. I will give a think about other books to point you towards.

The Thirty-nine Steps, by John Buchan. Adventure and suspense, set in (from memory) both London and Scotland. Written around the time of the First World War, it’s pacy and thrilling and has been made into several films. I can highly recommend it!